DCPIV

36 minutes ago, jmklade said:

just concerned for the staff.

Likewise, but things are looking better. The lift & shift bookings are kicking in, as are new bookings. They were talking about 800 or so in the near future. That's hardly full, but it's much better than under 300.

All the above. 

No need to make an appointment. 

It was a little awkward at first but actually rather simple in the end. 

8 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Speaking of the gangway…… is it an especially long walk from the terminal to the ship?  I know at Terminal 25 at Port Everglades I usually request wheelchair assistance as it’s quite a long trek from the Retreat Access in the terminal to the actual entry to the ship.  Having no experience in Miami I’m just wondering if it’s a lengthy walk to board.  I know “lengthy walk” is a subjective term

but I’m just looking for some opinions.  Thanks!

It's a pretty good hike, yes, especially if you consider the distance from the passenger drop-off/pickup area. I can't compare to terminal 25 (yet, give me a few weeks), and I bet it's not quite as long, but I'd get that wheelchair. It can only be a small mistake. 

I just got off Summit on Saturday. It's probably to facilitate guest departure. The Retreat guests leave from the Retreat Lounge, which is on the port side, and there's a door to the deck. You just leave and are nearly right at the gangway. 

I'm among those who hope it is extended until this whole thing blows over. 

The "Simply Sail" fare may or may not be offered. That's what you're looking for. 

9 hours ago, WestLakeGirl said:

Assume that by “it” you are referring to an area for suite passengers in the terminal, and not trying to say that there was any sort of Concierge lounge there……

Yes, that's correct. 

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

Is $28 for Caymus before or after beverage package discount?  I thought with premium I would pay $28 minus $15 total $13 per glass?

That was the menu price, before discount. 

On 10/9/2021 at 10:47 AM, RichYak said:

Given current Covid protocols, I imagine that the Concierge Class waiting area no longer exists.

They did have it for suites last week on Summit.  I didn't spend any time there, though, as boarding already had begun.

Thanks for the report!  I'll be aboard Millennium next month, after she comes back down South.  I look forward to it!

I don't know if this is your answer, but I was told (while aboard last week) that she was going to go into dock soon for some work (no other specifics).  That may be what's going on during that period.

Just now, weregoingcruising said:

Which deck did you disembark from?

Four.

23 hours ago, Speasda said:

Late to the game on this - did either of you happen to take any pictures of MDR menus?

Honestly, I never even looked at the MDR menu (although I did order some escargot one night).  As mentioned, those are available on the app.  It also sounds like they don't always know which menus will be available each night due to the shorter cruises (the exception being the "lobster night" menu on the chic night--maybe also the first night, but I don't know about that).  They did not follow the same sequence as they did for our 7-nighter a couple months ago).

It worked the same for Luminae (and I didn't think to take photos of those).

3 hours ago, Harrylinden said:

Yes they are free, If you and that's a BIG IF you can get an appointment when you need it.I looked online and there are  NO appointments available for make?????

I can make appointments for CVS as soon as Monday and as far as about 2 weeks ahead.  My problem with that is that I keep hearing about CVS cancelling apointments.  While I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds, the 2-day requirement doesn't leave a lot of room to fix something that goes wrong.  I'd just as soon do it at home.

21 hours ago, susiesan said:

All this self home testing could get very expensive. Rapid antigen tests at CVS or Walgreens are free.

Indeed, and that's what DW did for her current sailing.  However, she tends to have a great deal of flexibility with her time.  She also had a backup test at home in case something happened. We're sailing in November, December, and January, so it's no problem having tests in reserve at the moment.

CVS have been notorious lately for cancelling test appointments.  Walgreens is only scheduling 2 days in advance.  Appointments are rather limited for both places, at least for the antigen tests (plenty for PCR, but only 1 of the 3 Walgreens closest to me has any antigen test appointments over the next 2 days).  With the 2-day requirement, there's neither much time nor many options to enact or even find a Plan B without incurring some expense. 

The cheapest option I found in town for a same-day appointment with same-day results costs $89. A 3-pack of home tests is $10 more.  That's a bargain when I consider that I don't have to make an appointment, don't have to keep an appointment, don't have to go anywhere for the testing, don't have to worry about an appointment being cancelled on me, and likely don't have to spend more than 30 minutes between the time I scan the QR code and the time I have results in hand (with 15 minutes of that taking care of something else while my results develop).  If something goes wrong, I go to the kitchen counter and get another test. I'll happily pay a relatively small premium for all that.

On 10/8/2021 at 2:09 PM, dreams_of_travel said:

A few months ago, there was a huge wait (8hrs or more) for the proctors, but they have since fixed their staffing issues.  Travelers to overseas via air have been using these tests for 6-9months to enter some countries, but mostly to re-enter the US.  I don't think cruising travelers will be much of a problem.  YMMV

When I tested for my recent sailing, I did so somewhere around noon (CDT) on a Saturday.  The whole thing took about 25 minutes.  Proctors were on board virtually immediately for the testing procedure and for reviewing the results.

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Not to minimize the Celebrity problem but I have experienced long hold times in many situations.

Same here.  Folks tend to forget that covid still is a major issue in many parts of the world (not the least of which is the USA). 

Many areas where call centers are located have had very low vaccine access, largely due to the problems with the AZ vaccine.  Those of us who don't want to live with that need to be prepared to pay more for cruising.

Every crew member I spoke to was a lot more concerned about having a job in a month or two than they were about being "cooped up."  I talked to a lot of them, too.  They are good folks who enjoy their jobs and want to work.  I didn't get so much as a whiff of a complaint or a disingenuous answer.  While some of them did enjoy their time off, they want to be there.

The ship was organizing some crew excursions (very bubble), so they are getting off the ship.  The crew also are getting PCR tests every cruise (i.e., twice every 9 or 10 days aboard Summit).  

34 minutes ago, seatrial said:

Does anyone have more information about what capacities may be onboard moving on in to December 2021.

Nobody knows.  Celebrity and other lines keep talking about increasing capacities, but there's been very little said about when and by how much (other than a highly optimistic interview with Richard Fain a while back).

If you carry off your own luggage, you'll probably be off the ship by 7:45.

11 hours ago, maggie.1008 said:

Thanks Bo, I found the information I was looking for. Caymus for $28. A glass. 

I'll confirm that was the price on board Summit this last sailing. 

I just got off Summit this morning after a similarly wonderful cruise. She's a lovely ship with an amazing crew! 

16 hours ago, jg51 said:

Is the ship being properly supplied?  In other words, are there shortages -- either of various food items or of beverages?

Nothing stood out to me (except that there wasn't another bottle of Lagavulin 16 after I killed the first one, but that's a fairly obscure thing to find on a cruise in the first place). In fact, things looked pretty normal for a ship sailing with so few guests on board. 

I'm sorry to say that I'm now reporting from Miami International Airport, having left Summit about an hour ago.  Before I go any further, let me just say again how wonderful the Summit crew are.  I would sail on nastiest rustbucket ever known to mankind if that crew were aboard (although I certainly hope they never have to endure that)! In fact, I might've only been half joking when I told Connie and Noemi (Retreat Concierges) that I would scrub the deck to stay on board.  After all, they did say there might be an opening for that position!

That's not to say that Summit is a rustbucket, now.  Far from it!  Even with the convenience issues I've mentioned, she's a fantastic ship, and I do hope to return soon.

Back to the report . . . .  

Lunch was wonderful.  I dined alone and finally got around to trying the world-famous Luminae Burger.  Oh, baby!  Where have you been all my life?!?  I get the hype, now.  That was a great burger!  Anyone who enjoys a good burger needs to try it when given the chance.  I look forward to my next one almost as much as my next cruise!

After lunch, it was back to the room to pretty much finish packing. I had intended to get a little more quality balcony time when the phone rang.  It was Darwin, the Cellar Master on aboard.  In fact, he was calling from Cellar Masters because the World Wine Tasting was starting, and I wasn't there.  With the time change over the previous night, my calendar was off by an hour.  I really do appreciate him calling (and I was glad I was in the room to get the call), or I would have missed a very enjoyable event.  It's not often you get to try a dozen wines from different regions while often getting to discuss them with a few very skilled and knowledgeable sommeliers and the Cellar Master, all of whom also are wonderful folks and fun to talk to.

After the tasting was over, a few of us hung around just to talk for a little while, and then I was off to my Himalayan salt massage.  It sounded a little hokey (and expensive) when it was first pitched to me, but I gotta to do something with that OBC.  Once again, I was very glad I did.  That was a fantastic massage!  That could have gone on for hours without me complaining.  It was both relaxing and restorative.  I'd be back in there for another one if I were still on board.  After all, there's nothing like a good massage after a long day of scrubbing decks.

All refreshed, I had to yo-yo back down to Cellar Masters for the Macallan tasting.  Unfortunately, they require 4 guests to sign up for that, and I was the only taker, so it didn't make.  That was something of a blessing, really, as I wasn't really in the mood for a bunch of whisky at that time.  The bartender still insisted on pouring me a bit of the Macallan Lumina, and I'm not one to pass that up.  Very tasty stuff, even if I didn't finish the drink!

Back up to the room to make sure everything was squared away except for the clothes I needed for dinner and travel and my toiletries and then change for dinner before kicking off a brief "gratuities" tour around the ship to make sure I caught everyone that I wouldn't see at dinner.  Daniel in the Retreat Lounge wanted to make me one more negroni (how could I refuse?) which I took back to the Rendezvous Lounge. 

I enjoyed the music there until they went on break and then scooted just over to the Martini Bar for the show.  Those guys are some of the craziest, most entertaining bar crew I've ever seen.  If they can't get a smile on your face, you may as well just hang it up.  Another treat was getting to see the singer from the previous night, who happened to be over there setting up for a set she would do later that night.  She's a lot of fun to talk to.  Between her sense of humor, the wackiness of the bartenders, and the jovial dispositions of everyone else around, the amount of laughter we packed in that small area for the roughly half-hour I was there was downright staggering.

Then it was back to Rendezvous lounge to enjoy a before-dinner cocktail with my dining companions.  We enjoyed the Ray Charles set for a little while and then into Luminae for one last dinner that was at least as wonderful as the others.  I had asked the Luminae crew the night before if there was something special we could do, and Danilo said he would work on it.  The something special turned out to be Grand Marnier souffles for three of us (unfortunately, one of my companions cannot have gluten).  Those were a treat!

Something I don't think I mentioned before is that, at the beginning of the cruise, they also had made a special batch of lemon sorbet so that we could enjoy it every night.  Man, that stuff is good.  One of my companions discovered that they were keeping it up in Oceanview with the other ice creams and what-nots.  Apparently, other guests also had been raving about it.  I hope the ship listens and keeps it around all the time.  Folks love it!

I did have to have one more nightcap with Eugene in Cellar Masters.  I mean, it's on the way to the room, so how can I pass that up?  Likewise, I spent another good half-hour or so on the balcony enjoying the magical night before double-checking my alarm, putting my bag outside the door, and heading to bed.

Getting off the ship was as smooth as could be (especially with so few on board).  I swung by Luminae one last time for some more thanks and farewells.  I arrived at the Retreat Lounge having just missed those that were walking off with their luggage.  I was sorry to hear that because that meant that I missed the chance to give me good wishes to some of those whose company I've enjoyed over the cruise. Perhaps we'll meet again and pick up where we left off.

The last thing that happened before I hit the gangway was that Sue (Cruise Director) again expressed her sympathies for me losing my friend while aboard.  I cannot express how deeply that touched me, and it is perfect evidence of the quality of this crew.  They are the best.

19 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

If the shelves behind the door are full of HoppenCrap, make them remove it.  I've found that area to be very useful.

🤣 Yes, that is one way to do it, but you still have to close the door to get to the shelves.  It's nitpicking, but it's also a lack of consideration for the customer.  My dining companions and I all talked a good deal about how the "revolutionized" design is a lot of form over function.  Celebrity chose to go with something that photographs well rather than something that is comfortable and convenient for the customer.

19 hours ago, lhsail said:

DH thought the croissants in the Oceanview were fantastic.  

I'm glad to know the good ones are there, too.  The Retreat Lounge also has the good croissants.  I think the only place with the sticky, glazed ones is Luminae.

I think I ordered mine about 3 weeks before my current sailing. I got a 3-pack since we have a lot of cruising coming up. I think it took a few days to show up, but I really didn't pay that much attention since time was not an issue. I do recall that the kits showed up the day after they shipped. 

Since expiration dates aren't a problem for a cruise next month, there's not much sense in waiting to order. May as well do it while you're thinking about it. 

Even if I hadn't seen that article linked above, I'd have been floored if the testing requirement didn't continue until well into next year or even beyond.